Hay Creek

Chapter 23.

The moment I crossed into my territory, a wave of familiarity washed over me—it felt good to be home. Avery, sitting beside me, was singing along to Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and though she wasn't a professional singer, she didn't sound half bad. I chuckled to myself.

Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to the house. I parked the car in front, and as soon as we stepped out, I was ambushed—by Greyson. Clearly, someone had missed me.

"Dude!" I laughed, trying to keep my balance as he practically tackled me. Avery giggled, enjoying the moment.

'Finally back!' Greyson said through our mental link, his tail wagging furiously.

"How are things around here?" I asked, giving him a pat.

'Smooth sailing. Easy peasy,' he replied, his tail still swishing happily from side to side.

"Everyone's here?" I inquired, glancing around.

"Everyone except Stella and Archer. They've been out all day. Probably on some marathon date," Greyson added, shrugging. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Same," I replied with a grin, gesturing for us to head inside.

When we entered the living room, the younger pack members were sprawled on the couch, absorbed in Twilight. Arabella rolled her eyes dramatically at the screen. "Ugh, wolves don't act like that," she huffed, clearly unimpressed. But as soon as she saw us, she shot up from the couch and rushed over.

"You're back! Oh my god, I missed you guys so much!" She threw her arms around Avery.

"Welcome back, Alphas," Marley greeted us with a warm smile. We exchanged pleasantries with everyone, and I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of comfort. It was good to be home.

Avery

"He wasn't at all what I expected. Gabriel was so down to earth, really cool," I told the girls as we gathered at Arden and Graham's new place. The house was still under construction, but it was already starting to feel like a home.

"I made some drinks," Arden said, setting a tray down as she joined us. "Hope you guys like it. I mixed it myself." She sat next to Marley, while Stella sat beside me, baby Nova nestled in her arms.

"Thanks," I said, picking up a glass.

"How was Gabriel's pack?" Marley asked, curious.

"They were really nice," I replied, taking a sip of Arden's drink. "Had a different energy than ours, but a good one." I took another sip and widened my eyes. "Wow, Arden, this is amazing!"

She beamed. "Thanks! Marley, Arabella, you should try it."

Arabella was the first to respond after taking a sip. "I love it! You need to make this more often."

"Agreed!" Marley chimed in, raising her glass.

The conversation shifted to my time at Gabriel's pack, and the girls were eager to hear every detail. I didn't stay too long, though. I wanted to head home before it got dark—I'd been missing my mom and was excited to see her again.

Usually, when Kai picked me up for school, he'd ring the doorbell at exactly 7:50 AM, even though we had agreed on 8 o'clock. He always insisted on arriving at least ten minutes early, which is why I jokingly called him early bird. He'd just laugh and say, "Never show up at the exact time, always before."

But today was different. When the doorbell rang at 8 AM sharp, I figured maybe he'd gotten tired of always being early. But that wasn't the case. When I went downstairs and opened the door, Kai was leaning casually against a brand-new white Range Rover, with a sleek black bow tied around it.